New law will allow Israel Police to block return of slain Palestinians

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced yesterday that he is pushing for new legislation that would allow Israeli police to put precondition for the return of the bodies of Palestinians killed in clashes with occupation forces, Israeli media reported.

This bill was submitted by MK Bezalel Smotrich from the Jewish Home party and MK Anat Berko from the Likud.

They claimed that they suggested the law because the Palestinians incite against Israel during funerals, Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post reported.

Erdan has several times objected the return of the bodies of Palestinians for burial. He backed the police to set conditions for the return of bodies of three Israeli Arabs from Umm Al-Fahm killed at Al-Aqsa Mosque in July.

“These kind of funerals are making people go and carry out attacks,” Erdan said. “We’ve seen it in the mass funeral of the terrorists in Umm Al-Fahm. [From now on] funerals will be carried out only after [the families] will abide by the conditions that were set by the police.”

Since the start of the Jerusalem Intifada in October 2015, the Israeli occupation has blocked the return of scores of

Palestinians who were killed during clashes with the Israeli army or police. Bodies are kept in what is known as the cemetery of numbers. Several local and international rights groups have called for Israel to release the bodies and abolish this policy.